Writer: Drew Goddard
DOP: Seamus McGarvey
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth
Circa 1969, several strangers, most with a secret to bury, meet by chance at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one night, everyone will show their true colours- before everything goes to hell.
The film is very Tarantinosque and, as can be seen from the synopsis, an obvious comparison can be made with Hateful Eight. The time it is set in and the historic touchpoints is also interesting in the sense that Tarantino's next is titled 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' and is supposed to have a peripheral reference to Manson. Tarantino has been quite disappointing in his last two outings and I enjoyed El Royale much more than Hateful Eight, both of which have a pretty generous running time. El Royale. Film follows the chapter format each of which gets a flash back and same events in the film are seen from different perspectives. This or the writing are not as snappy as Tarantino's work from the 90s but is much better than his recent fare.
The film plays with audience expectations and is very twisty with violent escalations. It is the hotel which provides you with surprises initially and then it becomes about the characters. How it holds up on rewatch remains to be seen. Chris Hemsworth's Mansonesque character makes an entry only in the final act of the film. Characters played by Jeff Bridges and Cynthia Erivo mostly carries the film but performances from all are quite good. I didn't have any problem with its length and actually quite enjoyed it taking its time. It does have a poor man's Tarantino vibe to it but the man himself has been quite poor lately.
Rating: 3.5/5
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